Hope and Despair (like Oil and Water)
by BritishLuxray
Summary: Junko can't help her obsession with despair; the same way Makoto can't help but try to interfere. God, does she love that.


Junko stood in the middle of the room, hair gleaming in the evening light, a diabolical grin plastered across her face.

"Ohhh, what do we have here?"

Leon and Sayaka took clumsy steps backward, cowering in front of the model.

"N-Nothing, of course! Sayaka here was just giving me some music lessons! Nothing suspicious at all!" Leon laughed nervously, arm rubbing the back of his head. Junko frowned. Leon was a terrible liar. This was going to be too easy.

"Right! Leon wants to enter the music industry, and came to me for help. I was about to show him some simple vocal exercises!" Sayaka smiled brightly. She was a much better liar, Junko noted.

"Really now?" she smiled brightly. "I didn't really think sticking your tongue down each other's throats counted as vocal exercises. I must've totally interpreted that wrong! I don't suppose that means that it's okay if I release this video I took?"

Sayaka gasped in horror, while Leon looked dumbstruck.

"Oh, come now, it's not like this could end your musical careers or anything! No need to be so...despairing." She giggled.

"Where?" Sayaka asked, her voice suddenly low and threatening. "Where is the camera?"

"Huh? Oh, right! Just over here!" Junko swayed across the room, picking up a small black and Wichita teddy bear that had been sitting on the shelf. Unzipping the back, she pulled out a small, black camera. She waved it around, before turning it towards her and pressing the button on the top. Quickly though, her face contorted in anger as the camera remained blank.

"Turn on, you stupid thing!" She shouted, hands trembling.

"Ah, Junko!" A new voice appeared at the doorway and three occupants turned towards them in shock. A boy with bright green eyes and a mess of brown hair stood there, a bright and innocent smile resting on his face.  
"I thought I might find you here!" He laughed.

"Oh hey Makoto. Hey wait! Makoto, did you do something to my camera? I was using this for despair!" Junko huffed, an accusing finger pointed at his face.

"Sorry, Junko, I took the batteries out of it this morning. I overheard you talking to Mukuro about filming Leon and Sayaka, so I figured I'd intervene just a little." Makoto continued to smile, with the interrupted couple staring at him with open mouths.

"God damn it Makoto, do you realize how long I have been waiting for this?!"

"Probably since yesterday."

"Exactly! That's like, forever ago!"

"Junko," Makoto sighed. "Can't you have any other hobbies other than causing despair?"

"I have other hobbies! I'm the ultimate model!"

"That's a talent and a career Junko, not a hobby."

"We went mini golfing that one time!"

"You went because you enjoyed messing up the little kids shots and stealing their golf balls."

"We went to the beach!" she argued

"So you could destroy sand castles and make the other girls feel bad," he shot back

"I-"

"Junko." Makoto let out an accusing tone.

"Fine! Despair is all I have! Happy now? Besides, you know you love me!" Junko pouted.

"You blackmailed me into dating you." Makoto deadpanned.

"Are we interrupting something?" Leon questioned. The duo looked uncomfortable, backed against the far wall as they watched the couple bicker.

"Ah, sorry Leon, Sayaka, you can go. I'm-"

"I destroyed that ages ago!" Junko argued.

"If I leave, who knows what you'll do! You could do something stupid or crazy, like burning down the school, or trapping everyone in our class in a killing game!"

"That's not a bad idea," Junko murmured. Makoto glared. "Kidding, kidding! You're too tense, Maki~!"

"You drive me insane!" he groaned.

"We, ah, are gonna go." Leon muttered. Sayaka nodded furiously, and the two slipped out past the lucky student.

Silence fell in the classroom, and Junko sighed.

"You're a pain the butt, you know that?"

"Isn't that why you keep me around?" Makoto smiled his usual soft smile. Junko felt something in her heart twist. She'd originally kept the annoyingly hopeful boy around because she thought that he'd provide a new level of challenge, keep her off balance. He annoyed her more than anyone else, never giving in to the despair she loved, but he was patient and kind no matter how hard she pushed. Junko was a fucked up person; she knew that, she was proud of that, she didn't give a fuck. Despair was her thing, her core. But she was still human in other areas. And she'd very quietly fallen for this small, kind boy.

What should she do? Try to win him over? Run, and move far, far away? Fall deeper, only to brutally and suddenly betray him by killing him while his back was turned? She could go for a combo, she mused. Kidnap him and run? She could seduce him, she supposed, but make him fall in love? That would require some kind of kindness and care, something she didn't think she was capable of.

The two walked in silence down the hallway.

"Hey Junko?" Makoto asked suddenly.

"Mhmm?" Junko answered.

"Are you really that upset?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked coolly, internally confused and thrown off.

"You're normally a chatterbox, and usually complaining about how I ruined your plans. You're quiet today."

"I-uh, a little, I guess?" Hell would freeze over before she admitted what she was really thinking about. "What are you gonna do, make it up to me?" She teased.

"Huh? How would I do that?" he questioned, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Upupupu, by coming up with a despair inducing activity that we can do together, of course!" She giggled menacingly.

"D-despairing?! Junko, you know I don't do that kind of thing..."

"It's the only way." She nodded solemnly, pushing up a pair of imaginary glasses.

"But-"

"Forget it. You took too long," she huffed, walking ahead.

"Ah Junko-"

"Whatever."

"Junko!" Makoto called. She turned to find him standing awkwardly several rooms back. "M-maybe just something small. And if we do, we have to do something nice after that!"

"A compromise?" She mused. "I could probably do that. But you still have to come up with our activity, and join in." She ordered.

"I, ah, fine. Um, we could...ah...take the batteries...out of the toys at the toy store?" He suggested.

"What."

"Like, ah, the box said batteries included, but then they get home and they can't play with the toy straight away!"

A beat of silence passed. And then two. A small giggle. Another. And then Junko was doubled over, laughing.

"That's fucking adorable!" She gasped. "A little on the small side, but not bad. Not bad at all."

She straightened. "Alright! Time for Operation: Makoto Naegi's Biggest, Baddest, Most Despairing Toy Tradegy!"

"Junko aren't you getting a little carried away-"

"Hurry up slowpoke!" Junko dashed back to the baffled boy (even more incredibly, in heels), grasping both of his hands, her own trembling in excitement. Her cheeks were flushed and eyes sparkling. "I can't wait to do something despairful with my little Maki!"

"Junko, we're going to do something nice afterwards, don't forget!" He warned.

"Right, right, whatever. Let's go!"

And before he knew it, Makoto found himself being dragged out of Hope's Peak by the Ultimate model, wondering why exactly she was just so excited about removing some batteries. And standing at the entrancein the shadows was a certain girl, one with short, dark hair and ice blue eyes, so similar to her sister's.

"Careful Makoto," she murmured to no one in particular. "Keeping doing things like this and she might just like you too much." But even as she said this, she smiled, her sister's ecstatic face lingering in her mind.


End file.
